Today was the day. Today was the day that Kim Minju was moving into her apartment and living alone for the first time. Being away from her family, to enjoy university, woke up without a loud voice of her mother. It will be the best years of her life. A silence that she yearns for ever since she was a kid. Hopeful that she will starts a peaceful life.

 

 Freedom.

 

 

Her phone suddenly rings and picked it up immediately "Yes, Mom, I'm fine yes …yes stop being a worrywart I am a grownup now," she spoke with a crooked neck, her phone snug in between her neck and shoulder.

So much asking for a freedom from my mom huh.

 

 

 

 

She firmly held a box filled with her belongings, nervously eying the stairs. How could she climb up these stairs and avoid tipping backwards?

 

 

"Are you sure you don't want to come live with us, Japan is so near from Seoul, you can still always take back your decision, schools here are good too?" her mother asked again for the third time already.

 

 

"I can't leave Seoul, Mom," she reminded her.

 

It was impossible for her to leave the town she grew up in. After hearing the news of moving to Japan due to her father's work, she begged her parents for weeks to let her stay behind.

 

"Well, you have to be independent one day so better for you to be prepared," her father stated with his permanent grimace when she had pleaded for the third time that day.

 

 

He said no more, but she knew that was his way of saying yes. Her father had never been vocal but he expresses his love by way of actions.

 

 

So the search for apartments began. It wasn't until a month later when she found the perfect one—it was cheap, too. When she was at last able to call that apartment hers, she jumped with joy.

 

 

She wanted to sprint to the apartment and already begin the adventure of living by herself.

 

"Are you sure you want to live by yourself?" her mother repeated on the phone.

 

 

"Yes, I'm sure!" Minju assured positively. "I'm moving in right now so I'll talk to you later!"

Fighting.

 

 

She shifted the box towards the railing and held it up with her knee. She tapped the hang up button on her phone several times.

 

 

Saving the worst for last, she decided to start moving the boxes before lugging up her suitcases. Figuring out how she was going to pull up her suitcases up the stairs was something she didn't want to worry about yet.

 

 

Once Minju reached the second floor of the apartment and pushed open the door to her new home, everything sank in.

 

 

She was on her own now; there was no going back. A huge smile is visible on her face. “You can do it Minju “ that’s what she thought.

 

 

Shyly peeking in as if she was sneaking inside someone's home, she entered her apartment and took a look at her new place.

 

 

"It's better than what Mom described it as, just a few refurnished and it will be better, I wonder if color pink is awesome" she smiled to herself as she finished her observation, the apartment smelling fresh and new.

 

 

Her arms began to ache due to the box in her hands. There were two doors she could pick from. To save the trouble, she went for the bedroom with the door wide open.

 

 

"Finally," she breathed out as she set the heavy box on her bed. She did a slow spin around her new room; she was in love with it already.

 

 

She sat on the edge of her bed with content when a loud thud came from the room with the closed door.

 

 

"Was that something in the other room?" she thought to herself, slowly standing up.

 

 

"Seraph what are you doing here , come with me !" a muffled voice traveled through the wall.

 

Minju stepped out of her room and stared at the closed white door curiously. Though she had no idea why she was doing this, she lifted a hand and brushed her knuckles on it.

 

"Are you the maintenance or assistant of landlord?" she raised her voice so it could be heard from the other side of the door.

 

It was silent as her overly imaginative thoughts went in every direction at once. What if it was some insane person or behind the door?

 

 

Taking a deep breath, she touched the doorknob yet it its own.

 

She took a startled step back and peered at the person exiting the room.

 

It was, in fact, a girl a bit taller than her, wearing a white shirt, black jeans and cap but she did not look like a maintenance man. Her regular clothes told her. This girl is around her age. Wearing expensive clothes. She had messy black short hair with a pruding teeths in front. The girl looks adorable. Attractive.

 

Her hazel orbs were intriguing, unintentionally begging her to look at them more. Minju couldn't shake away the feeling that she had seen this face before.

 

"Maintenance?" the stranger repeated with furrowed eyebrows. "Are you the maid here?"

 

"Maid, do I look like one?" she repeated this time, eyebrow furrowing. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

 

 

"I live here, maid," the stranger answered, leaning against the door frame with her arms crossed.

 

"H-Huh?!" she exclaimed. "I think you have the wrong apartment. This is where I live."

 

The stranger dug into her jeans pocket and held up the key with numbers engraved into it, "My key says room 26."

 

"So does mine," she held up her key that looked exactly like the strangers.

 

"When did you start living here?" stranger stared at her with a vacant expression.

 

"Today,"

 

"Impossible so that’s me, probably the landlord makes a mistake "

 

 

They viewed each other expressionlessly. The stranger broke the silence as though someone hauled her out of this trance.

 

 

"We have to talk to the landlord about this," she seized Minju's wrist and pulled her along with her.

 

"Landlord!" stranger shouted out when they reached the lobby.

 

"What do you kids want?" a short old man with the name tag Hanabi grumbled at the front desk.

 

 

"This girl and I were given the same apartment today," the stranger pointed to Minju with her thumb.

 

 

"My name is Minju," she muttered while rubbing her burning wrist due to her touch that she left behind.

 

"Is there another room for her?" Minju asked. There was no way she was going to give up her apartment.

 

"Hey, I was at the apartment first,"

 

"I need it more than you do," she retorted.

 

"Says who?" she raised an eyebrow.

 

"Me!" Minju encountered.

 

"Enough!" Hanabi barked. Minju stared at him with large eyes; he sure sounded big although he was smaller than both of them and surely look like a human version of Doraemon.

 

 

Pulling out a binder, Hanabi flipped through several laminated pages while skimming through them.

 

"There aren't any available rooms," he said bluntly, loudly shutting the binder.

 

"This can't be happening," Minju's jaw dropped with horror.

 

"Are you saying I have to live with this girl?" the stranger inquired on dismay.

 

"My name is Minju," she said again while rolling her eyes.

 

"I don't care if you live together as long as I get the monthly payment of  $1,000 " Hanabi shrugged.

"$1,000l?!" the two teenagers yelled together.

 

 

"It was supposed to be $ 2,000!" the man slammed a hand on the desk with frustration.

 

"I don't know where you live, but it's impossible to find such a cheap apartment here with such small amount, if you want to leave feel free or look around first" Hanabi's eyes narrowed at the two.

 

 

Minju listened to the girl beside her curse under breath as she covered her face with a hand.

 

"I guess we have no choice then," she turned to her. "Let's have fun living together, Minju. I don’t want to spend more money"

 

"Y-You're serious?" she stuttered.

 

"I'm not paying for this apartment on my own," stranger claimed. "And I don't think you want to either."

 

"You're right," she sighed.

 

"Now that you're finished complaining and everything is settled, get out of here so I can sleep," Hanabi demanded with an intimidating glare.

 

"Yes, sir!" they yelped, rushing out of the lobby.

 

 

They entered their apartment and stood in front of each other for several awkward moments.

"So,— Min?"

 

"Minju," she cut her off to correct her name.

 

 

"Yeah, whatever," she waved her off. "This is going to be my side, alright?"

 

The stranger picks up a packaging tape from her duffel bag and drew a line that separates their apartment for two.

 

 

"We're going to have sides?" she inquired, already feeling annoyed with the stranger. Her eyes followed her draw an imaginary line in the middle of the apartment.

 

 

"Does that bother you?" the stranger looked at her with a taunt in the back of her eyes.

 

 

"No," she responded although it really did. Something about this girl made her think she was underestimating her. Arrogant. Spoiled. If she had this expensive clothes why won’t she just leave this apartment alone to me.

 

"Good," she replied with a satisfied smile.

 

"What happens if we step on each other's side?" Minju questioned.

 

"The person has to wash all our dishes and clean our room for a week," she answered.

 

 

"Isn’t it too much?!" Minju exclaimed. She wasn't quite looking forward to cleaning her own dishes and she definitely did not want to clean twice as much.

 

 

"So there you have it," the stranger presented, is bedroom door creaking open even though she wasn't near the door at all.

 

 

"Is that your dog?" she asked as brown shiba inu exited the room.

"His name is Seraph," she informed, dipping down to hold her dog in her arms. She shuffled to the edge of the imaginary line, Minju meeting up with her. Both of them were careful to not pass the line.

 

 

"He's cute," she complimented, petting Seraph behind his ears.

 

 

"Looks like he doesn't like you," the stranger chuckled as her pet instantly started to scratch Minju's hands.

 

 

"Hey!" Minju jerked her hand away.

 

"He'll like you someday," she spoke half-heartedly, allowing Seraph to jump out of her arms and roam around the apartment.

 

 

"He is on my side," Minju watched the dog walked through her side.

 

 

"He doesn't count," she stated.

 

 

She couldn't hold back her aggravated sigh. She completely regretted not bringing her dog, Eli, along with her.

 

 

 

"Well, I'm going to my room," the stranger told her while turning around.

 

 

"Wait!" she said before he closed the door.

 

 

"What?" she looked over her shoulder.

 

 

"I never got your name," she remarked.

 

 

"I am Ahn Yujin 15 years old," she answered, shutting the door behind her.

 

 

"It's nice to meet you, too I’m Kim Minju 17 years old," she mumbled, entering her room.

 

 

Falling into her bed, Minju shoved her face into the bare mattress. She was exhausted; she would unpack tomorrow instead.

 

 

Her phone began to ring and as she read the caller ID, she felt her stress decrease just a little.

 

 

"Minju, when are you letting me see your new apartment?" her best friend, Yuri, instantly asked once she answered.

 

 

"Uh," Minju stuttered. How could she tell her best friend that she ended up sharing an apartment and living with someone else? Not only that, but living with an arrogant girl?

 

 

"Once I get everything cleaned up and decorated," Minju bluffed.

 

 

"Hurry up, because I want to see it already," Yuri urged her.

 

"It'll only be a few days," Minju guaranteed, knowing that meant she was giving herself a few days to come up with another lie.

 

 

"It better be! Well, I'll see you at school tomorrow then," she spoke.

 

 

"See you tomorrow," Minju said as she hung up.

 

 

"Hey, Minju!" Yujin shouted in her room, giving the wall that separated them a knock.

 

 

"What?" she looked at the wall.

 

"Come out of your room," Yujin ordered.

 

 

She forced herself to leave her bed and open her door.

 

 

"What do you wa—"

 

 

Minju's eyes widened as she met a Yujin wearing only her sports bra exposing her bare skin and abs that to look for, standing outside of the door.

 

 

"Put a shirt on!" she exclaimed, rotating around so she could hide her embarrassed face. She couldn't believe how quick it took for her face to warm up.

 

 Why would I blush , we are both girls. It is normal right?

 

 

"I would, but Seraph took it to your side," she complained.

 

 

It didn't take Minju long to find her crumpled t-shirt laying on the floor. She strode to it, bending down to pick it up, and extending it out to her as she reached the edge of her line.

 

 

"H-Here," she said with her face withdrawn.

 

"Thanks," Yujin responded, her fingers latching onto hers for several seconds. She returned to her room without another word.

 

 

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